I'm a great fan of crime books. I enjoy the 'edge of your seat' nature of some of the contributions of authors like David Baldacci, John Grisham and others. I am quite fussy in what I like in a book, and judging from the other reviews of this particular one, I am sticking my neck out by saying I didn't like it.

The book was free from o2 rewards so it didn't cost anything. I hadn't read anything by Harlan Coben although I had heard of him and was aware that his books were popular. Hence the reason for selecting this book from the few on offer. It is a paperback of 387 pages long. The version I have varies from the one pictured above and has a pink toned cover with a picture of some stairs on the front.

The story takes us into the world of Grace Lawson. She is married to Jack and has two children Emma and Max. The tale starts as she collects a pack of photographs from the developer. In amongst the photographs is a photograph that she doesn't recognise, of five people, one of which is her husband. She confronts her husband that evening and he disappears out into the night and doesn't return. She contacts the police, who don't believe her story and are quite sceptical about the circumstances of her husbands disappearance.

We learn Grace's back story. She was in the crowd at a concert and was crushed in the crowd when a gunshot rung out, injuring her leg badly, so she walks with a limp. Many people died in the crush, and we learn that despite the years later, she still has a link to some of the parents of those who died. At the same time, we are introduced to 'the bad guy' who uses violent techniques to incapacitate his victims. This particular character lends a creepy quality to the book, and you wonder what he is going to do next.

The story plays out, and more and more characters are introduced, some are red herrings in the eventual explanation, while others are more central to the story. The police start to take notice of Grace's plight, but largely she is left to try to find her husband alone, while keeping herself and her children safe. I won't give away anything else as I don't want to spoil the story but I personally didn't enjoy the book. I felt there were too many twists and incidental events that didn't fit with the overall story. It does all come together in the end, but I was left with a feeling of disapointment for how it all played out.

Normally when I get into a book I finish it really quickly, particularly when I am caught up in the story. It took me a week or so to read this book which is unusual as I normally like to plough through a good crime story. I don't think I would go out of my way to read another book by this author.

Thanks for reading my review which may appear on other sites.